Gripping device



l.. A. GILBERT GRIFFIN@ DEVICE Feb.. 6, i940..

4 Sheets-Sheet lV Filed Aug. 26, 1958 II I I I I I I BY RUAMMMW A TTORNEYS.

l.. A. GILBERT 2,189,244

GBIPPING DEVICE Filed Aug. 26, 1938 Feb. 6, 1940,

4 Sheets- Sheet 2 il LL O fr) un N . l INVENTOR j LLOYD A @H BERT IIIII Feb. 6, 1940. A.. GILBERT GRPPING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet `f5 Filed Aug. 26, 1938 v INVENTOR. LLOYD A. @Laim BY K .I um@ YAM A TORNM '5.

Feb. 6, 1940.

L. A. GILBERT GRIPPING DEVICE Filed Aug. 26V, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 n LLOYD A. .GILBERT uA-wwf. WM

ATTORNES.

snubber to handle the pipe againstthis high and dangerous pressure. The-cause ofmany serious accidents, resultingI frompipe'being blownirom a well during such operations, has beenwattributed 'to the fact that the ordinary tYDe oi' slipor-blow-` out preventer used in connection ,withthe/snub r bers is slow to react. 4- lUnder these'v circumstances,

the pipe, once iree, 4may travel 20 or 30 f e'et beiore the slips take hold or `set and attempt to stopv the movement ofthe pipe.. 'By this time, the momentum of the .heavy string of ,pipe'has become so great that the slips cannot stop the;

Patented 55.6.1040 f v haya a." Ponsa-t* "nunmal om.. manor-Piaf Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation o Application ze, -lssasmimr l .im infile-4712.1 f invention relates to improvementsingripping devices of acharacterl employedinfoil Land]l gasfiield operations.k More particularly,- it relatesl to a device which iacilitates'fthe. `coni'rOLLand handling of well casing,ltubing,vrodsfdrill pipe.

or the like. Hereinafter, such to as pipe with the understanding such term is' suflicientlyrcomprehenslve ato inoludeany form of object When running in or `pulling'pipe from a well bore in which the casing pressure may range up` to 10,000 pounds or'more, it-isf customary to use several control heads and extrasnulaliing Aequipment consisting lof l a. stationary and a traveling movement, and the pipe is eitherhlown Iromthewell or dropped to the bottom, depending upoxr the direction of travel.

In accordance with this, theprimarymy invention is to provide agrip'ping-device which will react rapidly andv set the slipsaround the moving pipe before it has afchanceltogam sulcient momentum to do-any serious-damage.

An important, objectoi the invention lato` prov vide a gripping device whicnautomatically'sets .the slips and must be pulled open--beiorevthe pipe can be moved.

or pulling out pipe where high pressure prevail.

' A Iurther object of. the invention is to provide a gripping device which hasdual engaging members with the engaging surfaces vbeing opposed* i K- -l'tlreraxnaitistobeund .apparatus as well-se.

tubing, rods, drillpipe or the like wlllbereferred" withlwhich 4the iventionmay bef l `or Figure a;

1 position,

zum

Int-.hei accompanyingdrawin sio of this specialistica and inzwhieh" are entipmy'env to vdeals inte lire Figurer ,shonzqataff eeusagatnellinez-f-z rieuresiswerden"levatbnfparuyinsection Y oi my invention-showing Vthedevice intheopen l Figures is arverticalelevation partlyiiisel's-f f tionof myd'evice in the closed positionaround apipe, and, Figure 5 is a verticalgelevatlon partly in section of'a device employingamodiiicationoi my ini "20L,` i

vention. L l Intlie drawingawhereiniorithe piu-poseo! illustration is shown a preferred emhodimentoi my ginvention, the numeral l designatesfagripping l X deviceorpipe spider which is preferably stationary and adapted tobe tiedv down bymeans ofthe bolts 6 -6 to the casing head, rotarytable. Y or. substructure inthe customary'manner2- ,t Within this rectangular body portion `are A mounted two rigid A irames composed oifarms *30 l l l8---0 and 8'-9 integrally "connected bycross membersl l |0'. These arms and crossmem'f bers may be tubular in construction,` or as indi- Lcated in the drawing s, composed"oi I beams.

.any material wmenlsfable te withstand the as severestresses and Working "conditions to "which adevice oi this character is subjected-,may be fused. As shown. the arms and 8f- 44'- merge" "into hub structures 1 -flwhich are pivotallv mounted on afshaft member 34e-41', The nu- 4,01 .1

merals lI-ii representhollow tubularor cy- Another object of this invention is to pvide A lindrical members, which arealsv risid1y`seured running ai;V one Aenel. to` tliehubs '|-1,and1haveheavy s' dem whch can hemd either for m coiled springs, L -uf; mounted within mesi; I

" yAbutting :these springs and slidablvmountedV 4s I` A`'within `the-members(3e-I3' .are the pistonsections 26e-25' `of the rocker members 2S-28';

i Referring to 1 igures 3,4,andf5, the piston or sliding stems Vi6- 25' have their' spring abutting and slots 21---217` la the pistons zs-zs' are pro-` vided so that the pins II-II are free to slide-t55" `.within the limitsoi theV slots. In this way, rocking motion imparted tothe A frames from the rockers 29-29 or motion transmitted from the' `cranks H II to the pistons 26-29' does not interfere with the lfunctioning of these connectingpins ls-ls'.

At the opposite ends of piston members 25-26 and rigidly attached thereto are rockers 28 29' arcuated in form `vertically and'half round in horimntal cross section. The'innersurfaces yoi these rockers are so lined with teeth 35 35' that f a rrictional engagement' issecured at the time `when said rockers are in contact with the pipe 33.

It will be noted that the rockers may be retracted by sliding the pistonstems 26 26 back into the cylindrical members I3 l9; This is accomplished by motion transmitted from the 'cranks -l'I-H' to the piston stemswhich in turn\com press the springs Il il as shown in Figure 3.

When lever 25, which is more fully described later in this specication, is released, the springs force the rockers back into contact with the pipe as indicated in Figure 4.

Attached to the louter vends of the arms 9 9- and 9 9 by means of pins and links 3| 92- and 9|' 92', or in any `other suitable andconvenient manner, are the slip membersV 29-90 and 29' 9 0. These slip members are the standard type being half round in cross Ysection andV y elongated-vertically with a slight taper on their outer surfaces conforming to a-tapered bore ink the mambody portion or the pipe spider t. In

this way thev slips afford a. radial wedging action.

l when they are forced into contact with the sur- !acepfpipe 39, as shown in Figures 4 and 5;

lInner teeth l36 36' assure gripping contact with the pipe surface. y .l

The mechanism for retracting the rocker mem-` bers 29-29' consists of an operating handle or/ lever 25 which is pivotally mounted at 29 to the main body portion of the pipe spider. YBigidly attached to the operating handle at 29 is a'connecting link 22 which has its upper end pivotally joined at 2| to the cross members 20 20- whichA are in turn rigidly connected at |9 I9' to the upper arms |9 I9' of Vthe cranks f ITI-I1'.

l Cranks AI'| I1 are composed of upper arms {9 {9V rigidly attached at their lower ends to horizontal cross pin members B Bfand the lower arms, I9-I9 having their upper ends rigidly attached to the pins B B'. The lower ends of arms I9-I9' are slotted at 91-91' and linked by n l0. This sliding t at Il l l' and hollow tubular couplings |2 I2 passing overthe Vends oi!v cylindrical members |9 |9' connectsthe arms 9 9 and 9 9' and the piston members`29-29'.

Y' Couplings I2 |2' surround the spring containers |'9--i9' and only the main body portion of 29 29 is in contact withthe springs Il ll'- as indicated in Figure 5. Arms 9 9 and 9' 9 are individu- A.ally pivot mounted on a shaft member at 94 94' so that when cross members id ill move to-H ward the pipe 99, arms 9 9 and 9' 9" will` pressedtogether and force the slips 29f 99.and

l29,' 90' into contact with pipe 99. 'When the springs H M' are compressed, cross members Iii-I0 movein the opposite direction and tend to separate the arms 9 9 and'9' 9'. This mov- Having thus described my invention, I claim: 75

mg apart of the arms withdraws ure slips imm their contact with pipe 99.

The operation of the gripping device is as Iollows:

When the operating handle 25 is held down in position as shown in Figure 3, cranks I'| I1'- 29-29' and 9|! 9il' are then in the open or neutral position. Pipe 99 is then clear and free to move in either direction without contact at any point with the pipe spider.

In case of an accident or sudden movement of the pipe .99 in either direction, or in the event that the pipe is to be held securely in place, operating handle 25 is released. Springs Il ll' are no longer held compressed and force rocker members 28 29,into frictional engagement with the pipe 99, Figure 4. Due to the arcuate shape of members 28-29 they will rock eitherup or down, depending upon which direction pipe 99 is traveling at the time oi' contact. yIf pipe 99 is moving in the direction oi the arrows, Figure 4,-members 29 29' rockupward. This rocking motion tilts b oth A frames and arms 9 9 and 9 9' so that arms 9 and 9' force the slips 9|l 90' into a closed gripping position around pipe 99. If the movement of the pipe is in the opposite direction, the rocking motion is downward when 29 and 29' come into contact with the pipe surlface. Arms 9 and 9. in this event, are forced down and set the slips 29 29' around the pipe, preventing any further movement.

Referring to the operation of the modification shown in Figure 5, operating handle 25 .when depressed compresses springs I 4 I4' and withdraws the control members 29 29 from contact with the pipe99. Any movement of the piston members 29 '26',is transmitted to the cross members lil-I0', which are directly connected thereto by means of coupling l2. Movement of the cross members I Il lll' is transferred to the arms 9 9 and 9*-5" through means of a sliding contact at' the pointsv H II'v and causes them to open or close', depending upon which direction piston members 29-26' are moving. As can be seen in Figure 5 when the arms approach each other, the slips 29-30 and 29 39' are set about the pipe 33 and when the arms are retracting the slips are withdrawn from contact with the pipe. It should also be noted in this modification that the setting ofthe slips29-90 and 29' 90. is not dependentupon ythe rocking motion of the members 29-29' but upon the sliding of the piston stems 2941-26. Theretracting movement of these stems, which opens the arms 9 9 and 9' 9' and removes'the slips from contact withthe pipe, is imparted thereto by depressing operating lever 25. When this lever is released, springs I 4 Iv4 are no longer held lcompressed and force piston stems 26--29 back out of the cylinders l9-I9'. This movement of the piston stems is transferred Vto members lil-lll' and 29-29 which in turn forceall gripping members into contact with pipe 99.

It is to beundersfopd that the form lormy 1 ment oi' parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spiritY of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

vslips attached to the ends of I claim:

1. In a pipe spider, a body'member having a pipe.` passageway therethrough, arms mounted within the body member, slips attachedto the arms to grip a pipe traveling in either direction through the pipe spider, rocking members slidably attached to the arms, and `means' connectedto the arms to urge the rocking members inwardly.

2. In` a pipe spider, a body member having` a pipe passageway therethrough, arms pivotally mounted within the body member, pipe gripping means attached to the arms to grip a pipe traveling in either direction through the pipe spider, arcuated pipe contacting members arranged within the arms and connectedthereto, and a series of levers connected with said arcuated pipe contacting members to control the horizontal movement of the arcuated pipe contacting members.

3. In a pipespider, a body member having a pipe passageway therethrough, arms mounted within the body member, pipe gripping slips attached to the arms to grip a pipe traveling in either direction through the pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members mounted within the arms and connected thereto and means connected with the rocker members to control the horizontal movement of the rocker arms.

4. In a pipe spider, a body member having a pipe passageway therethrough, arms pivotally mounted within the body member, pipe gripping the arms to grip a pipe traveling in either direction through the pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members slidably mounted within the arms and connected thereto and means connected with the rocker members to control the horizontal movement of the rocker arms.

5. In a pipe spider, a body member having a `pipe passageway therethrough, arms pivotally mounted within the body member, pipe gripping slips attached to the ends of the arms to grip the pipe traveling in either direction through the pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members slidably mounted within the arms, com-A pressible means urging the rocker members inwardly into contact with the pipe and means connected with the rocker members to ,retract the rocker members from engagement with the Pipe.

6. In a pipe spider, a body member having a pipe passageway therethrough, arms pivotally mounted within the body member, pipe gripping Vslips attached to the ends of the arms to 811D the pipe traveling in eitherdirection through the f Ward the pipe passageway, pipe gripping slips attached to the endsof the arms to grip the pipe traveling in either direction throughthe pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members slidably mounted within the rigid supporting frame, compressible means urging the rocker members inwardly into contact with the pipe and a series of levers connected with the rocker members to retract the rockers from engagement with the pipe.

8. In a pipe spider, a body member having a pipe passageway therethrough, a Vsupporting frame pivotally mounted to the body member` comprising oppositely disposed arm members extending inwardly toward the pipe passageway. pipe gripping slips attached to the ends of the arms to grip the pipe traveling in either direction e through the pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members having aprojecting member telescoping Within a conduit connected to the supporting frame, a spring within the, conduit urging the rocker member inwardly into contact with the pipe anda series of levers connected to the projecting member on the rocker member to retract the rocker member from engagement with the pipe.

9. In a pipe spider, a body member having a pipe passageway therethrough, a supporting.

frame pivotally mounted to the body member comprising oppositely disposed arm members extending inwardly toward the pipe passageway. said oppositely disposed arms being also pivoted with relation to each other, pipe gripping slips attached to the ends ofthe arms to grip the pipe traveling in either direction through thev pipe spider, gripping elements comprising rocker members slidably mounted within the supporting frame, means urging the rocker members inwardly into contact with the pipe and means associated with the oppositely disposed pivoted arms to retract the rocker members from engagement with the pipe.

L. A. GILBERT. 

